Reach
by GFSista
Summary: She was always so close and far away.


**Reach**

Hi *waves* Yeah I've been away for awhile, I'm sorry about that. Here's a little something to get me back into the rhythm of writing. All I've been doing is essays. Ugh. I hope to have the next chapter of Pieces up soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own Galactik Football, duh...

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><p>Reach<p>

She was always near him. So close, yet so far away.

At first he didn't understand it at all. Keira was just another girl, as far as Artegor was concerned. She was someone who was a friend of Adium's, someone who hung out with the group. The group being Artegor, Aarch, Norata and Adium– all of their futures were geared towards becoming great footballers and representing Akillian throughout the Zaelion Galaxy.

Keira, on the other hand, dreamed of being a great actress and obtaining great roles like her idol, Rochelle Evans. Technically she was the odd one out; nevertheless she always managed to fit in. Artegor was the odd one out.

One afternoon, after a seemingly usually boring day at the university, Keira bounded up to Artegor and said "Hi!" whilst trying to catch her breath.

"Hello." Artegor said in turn. She didn't usually seek him out.

"Um, I just wanted to give you something." Keira said rummaging through her purse. "If I can find it… ah! Here."

She handed Artegor two tickets. They were for a Shadows vs Akillians match next week. He stared at her open mouthed, hardly able to contain his usual mask of calm.

"How did you get these? They were sold out!"

Keira smiled "One of my cousins was hoping to take his girlfriend but they broke up. Poor thing." Keira mused. Shaking herself out of her reverie she continued, "He gave them to me but I'm not much of a football fanatic. Then I realised that you and Aarch loved these teams and complained about missing the ticket sales. Actually, I remember Aarch complaining. You don't say much." She finished with a smile.

"Thank you." Artegor murmured.

"You're welcome. Have a good evening!" Keira said and ran off. Artegor silently noted that she was quite a fast runner. _"She'd be good for defence."_ he thought.

…

Time moved on and Keira made a move on Norata. Much to Artegor's surprise, Norata accepted. Artegor always thought that Norata was like him. Quiet, hard-working and stubborn. He never thought that Norata would submit to a woman's charm, let alone Keira's.

"Wow, what do you know? Norata's got a girlfriend." Aarch teased as the boys went to the park for a game.

Norata turned bright red and muttered, "Shut up Aarch. You're acting like I've never gotten a girlfriend."

"You have? That's news to me!" Aarch cackled. Artegor pondered.

…

The evening after the 4 friends had been selected to be on the new Akillian team, the group had gone to the best club that Akillian nightlife had to offer. The music was loud and the bass thudded throughout the building. When the friends weren't dancing, they were crowded at the bar. It was clear that Artegor could out drink the rest of them. Keira preferred to stick with mineral water.

"One of us needs to stay sober." Keira said.

"Aah, Keira. Ever the responsible one!" Aarch slurred.

The dancefloor was packed with people and at one point, Adium and Keira had managed to get Aarch and Norata dancing. Artegor could barely take his eyes off Keira's swift movements, as her hips swayed to the beat. Norata looked every inch the happy man. After all they had been together for a couple of years now and were living together. Artegor frowned and downed another glass of vodka.

By the end of the night, Artegor could barely stand and found himself sandwiched between Aarch and Keira. They managed to get him inside the apartment that he and Aarch shared. Keira sat him down with a glass of water, whilst Aarch went to bed.

"Artegor, if you think that you need to throw up at any point, just tell me, okay?" Keira said, wrapping one of her arms around Artegor's slim shoulders.

Artegor responded with a grunt.

Norata poked his head round the corner and asked "Keira, are you going home with me?"

Keira shook her head "I'm staying here until Artegor is sober enough. I don't want him collapsing or choking on something."

"You'll be fine to walk home, won't you?" Norata asked.

"Of course, it's only one road away! I'll see you later."

Norata nodded his head and smiled, marvelling at Keira's compassion. As soon as Norata left, Artegor waved at the door drunkenly, "I'll be fine. You go."

Keira smiled, taking Artegor's face into her hands "No you won't."

Artegor eyes widened. She got up and made two cups of tea and handed one to him. He took it and they drank in companionable silence, savouring the sweet taste.

"Once you finish your tea, you can go to bed. You've got a lot of training to do tomorrow, don't you?"

"Yes." He mumbled. "Probably wasn't a good idea to go out drinking."

Keira chuckled. "Well, boys will be boys. I'm really glad you've been selected for the team. You guys have been talking about it for as long as I can remember."

"I know. I can't wait for it." Artegor thought of the glory that awaited the team and Keira couldn't recall the last time he looked so enthusiastic about something.

"You guys are gonna be so busy now. It's not gonna be like the old days anymore."

"We'll be around! We're not going anywhere."

"I know that... It just won't be the same." She smiled sadly.

Artegor held her hand and gave her a rare smile without knowing why

…

_Bang, bang, bang_.

Keira jumped up from her script and rushed to the door. Artegor stood in front of her, his face marked by bruises. Her mouth was open.

"I... I didn't… I don't know what…" Artegor tried to place words with little success.

Keira took him in and ran to get her first aid kit. "What happened to you?"

Artegor shrugged. "I ran into some trouble with some Rykers fans. They weren't too happy about that victory of ours."

Keira looked nothing short of appalled. "That's horrible. Some people take this game too seriously."

Artegor hissed at the sting of the disinfectant and Keira murmured "Sorry, but it has to be done, we wouldn't want for your face to get infected." The striker smiled ruefully, thankful for the woman's warm and caring personality.

By chance, he stole a look at her hand and saw a ring on her wedding finger.

"Did... Norata propose?"

She stopped wiping at his face and paused to look at her ring. "Yes, he proposed yesterday. We were going to announce it and surprise the guys tonight."

He felt distraught. That was it. Now she was away from him forever. He was never one for being direct when it came to his feelings. He loved her. He loved her kindness and gentle ways, in a complete contrast to his cold exterior. They were always in close proximity but he never got close enough.

"Artegor? Are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah... yeah, I'll be okay."

...

16 years later, after the ice age, after the self-imposed exile, Artegor sat in his room contemplating. Somehow, Aarch seemed to have everything; the Cup, the respect of Akillian and a team that adored him. And Norata had his wife back. When he came back to Akillian, he demanded an update on his former teammates and was astounded to hear that Keira had left him for a career on Genesis. A career that never took off. He never thought that she would leave Norata and her baby for a career. She was more ambitious than he gave her credit for.

But he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He kept on thinking back to those old days on Akillian, when everything seemed to be easier, when Keira would drag them to the cinema to see obscure films and tease the boys about their obsession over football. He remembered the constant smile on her face and her gold eyes glittering in the dark.

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><p>Hope you liked it! :)<p>

GFSista xx


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